Pumpkin Challenge 2018: Week 2

A special month-long edition of #KTTeats: The Pumpkin Challenge is an annual tradition where I embark on a month-long journey of daily pumpkin consumption.

Join me for my 8th annual challenge and the new treats that go along with it!

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It’s been a great October so far for many reasons, but many include pumpkin. It was especially nice to get to enjoy so many pumpkin items with my west coast comrades over the last week and a half and to indulge in Vancouver’s pumpkin offerings.

I’ve just returned to Toronto and am getting ready to dig into more of its seasonal goodies for my second October in the city! In the meantime, take a look at what I tasted over the last week below.

I’ve enjoyed Shockingly Healthy! products a couple of times before, but this pumpkin pie blondie was definitely my favourite.

Sometimes, when beans are the base of a baked good, it can be hit-or-miss with the flavour and texture. However, my co-eaters and I all found this one struck a good balance with its seeds, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and pumpkin flavours making the squishy texture make sense (like a pumpkin pie).

Erin Ireland of To Die For Fine Foods shared this on her Instagram a couple of weeks ago and I knew that I would need to try it. Starbucks makes the Pumpkin Spice Latte known to the world, but it is very sweet and its syrup has milk products in it. So, I was excited to try this vegan-friendly version despite not being a fan of standard cold-brew coffee.

Much to my surprise, the coffee flavour did not overwhelm the drink and the almond milk and pumpkin flavours went very well together! Even those who don’t like coffee would probably find something to love in this.

I wasn’t sure what my pumpkin item would be for the day when I found myself stumbling into the beloved Notti Biscotti near my family’s place. Their fun store with sassy atmosphere supplied me with not one, but TWO, pumpkin items.

One item was The Fireman’s Pole, a biscotti with caramel, pecans and pumpkin flavours. It was the end with the packed flavours where you really got a sense of what it was all about (otherwise, the flavours didn’t pop quite as much). The other item was a pumpkin loaf with cranberries, cinnamon and walnuts (mostly on top), which was simple but delicious (and filling).

The cafe sells a lot of other great items (especially the Morning Glory muffins), so if you’re ever in town you need to go! Even your dog friends can have a treat.

I got it. The stuffed doughnut being featured in Cartems’ October flavours: Pumpkin Pie.

It was everything I had hoped for in this unsuspectingly vegan doughnut. It was packed with pumpkin pie filling and topped with not-too-much glaze and pumpkin spice with some nuts for extra texture. Their other monthly flavours were very different but equally delicious with the black sesame and stout pretzel options offering something unique.

My twelfth day featured the second item from day eleven, since I had a few pumpkin items to catch up on and didn’t want to add more to my collection before finishing off the rest.

It was my first time visiting Their There and I loved the minimalist and indoor-plant-filled interior. They offered a variety of unique baked goods, including the Pumpkin Pie Cronut that I ended up ordering (obviously). It was made of two layers of cronut (croissant + doughnut) pastry with pumpkin pie filling in-between and was topped with whipped cream and pumpkin seeds. So good. Great texture.

I first visited Tori’s during Pumpkin Challenge 2017 and had a doughnut and some sort of delicious tea latte. This year, I had the doughnut again and had a new tea beverage called Pumpkin Pie Pour that was made of black tea mixed with pumpkin puree and topped with soy milk. Even without sweetener it was delicious!

And together? Amazing. I was all about dipping my doughnut in that latte.

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Thanks for joining me for Week 2 of this year’s Pumpkin Challenge!
Stay up-to-date with each day’s goodies on Instagram (@inatizzyphotos),
follow me on Facebook, and come back for Week 3 soon!